THE PHOENIX KING

The time of succession has come for King Leo, monarch of the desert kingdom of Ravence.

With the neighboring Jantari threatening war and the radical group the Arohassin plotting regicide, the Ravence heir, Elena, will come into a lot of responsibility. Fortunately, Elena shows much promise; she has political acumen, dazzling wit, an unshakeable love for her people and the peoples' adoration in return. On nearly all accounts she is ready to assume the throne; she need only learn the magic of holding fire without burning to prove she is worthy of it. But her father will not teach her and might not have plans to step down after all, as he is shaken by the return of the Phoenix’s prophet, who will destroy everything in the desert and all the nonbelievers. As if that’s not enough for Elena to navigate and King Leo to ponder, enter ambitious political player Samson and retired Arohassin assassin Yassen, who each have motives of their own. The various points of view make it hard to know who is really pulling the strings, though one thing is clear: There is power in the burning flames of the desert fire and in the secrets held dear. This desert world is well developed, with the intricacies of a society, including religion, culture, and race, and the mythology of a phoenix rising supporting the themes of sacrifice, forgiveness, and resilience throughout each character’s point of view. The story is at its best when characters are faced with the edges of identity, colliding loyalties, and the unpredictable landscape of life.

Settle into the morally gray areas of a king’s broken heart, an assassin’s twisted mind, and a prophecy of destruction.